Differentiation and identification of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi or yeasts in a sample suspected of containing pathogenic organisms is important. The non-pathogenic organisms must be distinguished from the pathogens. Most frequently, samples contain mixed bacteria, mixed fungi or mixed yeasts, whether a clinically obtained sample, or an environmental sample, e.g. from a water supply, or a food based sample, including poultry and dairy products.
While numerous methods have evolved to help distinguish and identify microorganisms, most involve appropriate selection of culture media and several additional steps including incubating, preliminary identification by morphology, followed by further culturing and incubation of selected microorganisms. In some instances, complete identification of the microorganisms in a sample can take several days, as the cultures are typically incubated for 18-24 hours before significant growth is detected.
By way of example, by formulating the culture media to permit the growth of only bacteria with certain characteristics, the growth of some bacteria (which are not of interest) can be suppressed. However, regardless of how culture media are adjusted, by altering ingredients or the concentrations of ingredients, selection of the culture media still may not typically result in clear identification and differentiation of all the bacterial species present in the sample. Microscopic examination of morphology and further testing are commonly required, or use of multiple, differing culture media.
Use of color to differentiate various microorganisms was attempted against this backdrop.
While use of color to differentiate and identify microorganisms has been known for many years, until recently, these methods suffered from many drawbacks, including deterioration of the color change, diffusion or evaporation of the color formed, generation of color which cannot distinguish between bacteria or which is difficult to read against the color of the media, or the necessity for several steps, including UV radiation to develop the color.
Relatively recently, so-called chromogenic media have been utilized to differentiate microorganisms.
The primary method employed by chromogenic media to detect and differentiate microorganisms is the reaction of glycosidase substrates, as shown below. This basic chemical reaction to form color is exemplified by X-Gal (5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-.beta.-D-galactopyranoside), a reagent commonly used in molecular biology to monitor lacZ gene exprssion. This colorless substrate undergoes a reaction with galactosidase to produce an insoluble blue indigo product: ##STR1##
The oxidation step occurs rapidly to produce the indigo compound from the unstable 3-hydroxy indole. This oxidation may be air mediated and may also involve cellular metabolic processes in some organisms. One advantage of the indigo compounds as microbial indicators is their localization within the microorganisms, which helps to prevent deterioration and diffusion of the color change. The indigo compounds are also relatively nontoxic to growing microorganisms. Another advantage is that several colors are available by changing substituents on the indolyl ring. This allows differentiation of microorganisms with different glycosidase activities. A list of such colored substrate products is given below. ##STR2##
Products of known indolyl glycoside substrates:
______________________________________ R.sub.1 R.sub.2 R.sub.3 R.sub.4 Color ______________________________________ H H H H blue Cl Br H H blue H Br Cl H magenta H H Cl H salmon H I H H purple H Br H H blue ______________________________________
In addition to glycosidase substrates, dyes such as pH indicators are occasionally used in chromogenic media. Chromogenic indolyl substrates for esterases, phosphatases, and other enzymes are also used in some applications. These work similarly to the glycosidase substrates. An example, "Mag-Phos" is shown below. ##STR3##
Recently, many examples of testing methods utilizing this basic chemistry have been reported, some of which are described below.
Rapid identification of Salmonella is an important public health issue. Culture media for this purpose comprising a chromogenic compound linked to a C.sub.7 -C.sub.10 fatty acid, and an appropriate detergent which promotes liberation of the chromogenic compounds is proposed in WO94/09152. The chromogenic compound is preferably 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl caprylate, and the detergent is selected from fused polycyclic detergents. .beta.-glucosides and/or .beta.-galactosides are advantageously added.
Chromogenic compounds derived from indolylglucuronic acid as a substrate for the GUS enzyme are described in WO 94/08043.
Combining a chromogenic .beta.-galactosidase and a .beta.-galactosidase and a .beta.-glucoronidase in a test medium to distinguish between Escherichia coli and general coliforms in a single test with a single sample is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No 5,210,022.
A test medium useful for identifying bacteria found in urine samples containing a chromogenic .beta.-glucoronidase substrate capable of forming a first color when reacted with .beta.-glucoronidase, a chromogenic arylsulfatase substrate capable of forming a second color when reacted with arylsulfatase, and a nutrient base is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,755. Proteinaceous opaque compounds, such as milk-derived compounds can be included in the test medium. A medium for isolating Salmonella colonies without ambiguity by use of specific coloration is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,194,374. This medium contains peptones, a polyol metabolizable by Salmonella and a pH indicator sensitive to acidification. The polyol is adsorbed on a pulverulent material. The medium may also contain deoxycholate and a chromogenic .beta.-galactosidase substrate.
A method for revealing the presence or absence of a particular microorganism strain, with at least one strain-specific enzyme substrate chromogen and at least one compound selected from a high concentration carbohydrate, are added to the culturing medium as disclosed in WO95/04156. Once the chromogen has been hydrolyzed, a color differing from the basic color of the chromophore results.
A method of identifying E. coli using a growth medium for E. coli with 8-hydroquinoline-.beta.-D-glucuronide as an activator such as X-glucuronide is disclosed in EP 0025467. This method shows the E. coli as darkly pigmented blobs.
Determining the presence of E. coli in a liquid sample passed through a suitable membrane filter by contacting the filter with a chromogenic reagent, indoxyl-.beta.-D-Glucuronide, in an E. coli nutrient medium followed by incubation is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,804. The E. coli appears as an indigo blue color.
A method for identifying Enterobacteriaceae in a single culture medium is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,601. The media comprises a mixture of chromogenic .beta.-galactoside substrates with a decarboxylase substrate, a deaminase substrate, a urease subtrate, a hydrogen disulfide detection system, or a carbohydrate fermentation system. ONPG (o-nitrophenyl-.beta.-galactopyranoside) is disclosed as suitable.
Use of two different chromogens, and biological material capable of fermenting a sugar in a test medium adjusted to a pH conducive for color change of a pH indicator upon acidification upon fermentation of the sugar, is used to distinguish bacteria in WO 97/36001.
Direct detection of Salmonella (except S. arizonae) is possible by combining glucuronic acid and a pH indicator in the culture medium, together with a chromogenic or fluorogenic compound capable of being hydrolyzed by .beta.-galactosidase, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,434,056.
WO96/40861, like other art, is concerned with the identification of pathogens such as the possibly fatal E.coli 0157:H7 and Salmonella. A medium, liquid or solid, containing propionic acid, one or more chromogenic substrates, such as galactosidase substrates and glucuronidase substrates, and a nutrient base can identify these bacteria, according to this document.
Differentiation of pathogenic monocytogenes species of Listeria from the non-pathogens by use of a glycine amino peptidase substrate is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,889. Identification and differentiation of different species of yeasts can be accomplished using CHROMagar Candida plates available from CHROMagar Company, Paris, France. Yeasts from clinical samples grown on these plates are identified by variant colors and morphology. See e.g. A. P. Koehler, et al. J. Clin. Microbiol., 37, pp. 422-26 (1999). The CHROMagar medium is composed of 10 g peptone, 20 g glucose, 15 g agar, 0.5 g chloramphenicol, per liter, and a "chromogenic mixture," whose components are maintained in secrecy by the manufacturer. (E. T. S. Houang, et al., J. Clin. Path., 50, pp. 563-565 (1997).) The yeast colonies appear in colors such as pink, blue, apple green and rose on a clear background.
CHROMagar Salmonella (CAS) is used to identify Salmonella spp. as mauve colonies after 18 hours of incubation, while other members of the Enterobacteriaceae grow as blue or uncolored colonies. (O. Gaillot, et al., J. Clin. Microbiol., 37, pp. 762-65 (1999).)
While there are obviously many methods known and described for differentiating microorganisms, those currently known involve the use of culture media which are clear, thus providing good contrast and ready visibility when a color change takes place. Use of opaque media have also been used with chromogens, such as resulting from the addition of proteinaceous materials such as milk. Here again, however, the color change of susceptible bacteria is easy to detect.
Not all clinically important bacteria, yeasts or fungi can be cultured on the chromogenic media described above. For example, the so-called fastidious bacteria have specific growth requirements, and will not grow, (or grow in a meaningful way) on routine media. Examples of clinically important fastidious bacteria include Neisseria and Haemophilus. Many of these bacteria are found in respiratory, cerebral-spinal and genital fluids and secretions.
For these fastidious bacteria, incubation and growth is normally performed on chocolate agar, a culture medium containing hemoglobin. (See, Martin et al., Publ. Health Rep., 82:361 (1967). As its name implies, chocolate agar looks like chocolate and is brown in color. Therefore, whether chromogenic media will provide any meaningful contrast to permit differentiation and identification of bacteria is unknown.
Trypticase Soy Agar (TSA) with sheep blood is a culture media which is commonly used for the cultivation and isolation of fastidious microorganisms when distinct hemolytic reactions are important (e.g., Streptococcus pneumomiae from respiratory specimens). This culture media supports growth of many kinds of bacteria, which can only be distinguished by their morphology, which may be extremely difficult. Due to the presence of the blood, this media has a bright red color, and therefore it is unknown whether a color change would be discernible on this media.
The TSA with sheep blood media differentiates microorganisms on the basis of hemolysis, which results in the clearing (or lysis) of red blood cells due to the production of hemolysins by the microorganisms.
Due to their dark color it was unknown whether chromogenic reactions would be discernable on TSA and blood or chocolate agar plates. Moreover, it was unknown whether the presence of chromogens in the media would interfere with the hemolytic reaction on TSA with sheep blood media.
It is an object of this invention to prepare a chromogenic indicator medium containing blood or hemin for growing and identifying microorganisms.
It is another object of the present invention to prepare a TSA and sheep blood culture medium containing chromogenic substrates.
It is also an object of the present invention to differentiate microorganisms based on a change in color of the microorganisms on a TSA and sheep blood culture medium.
Another object of the present invention is to prepare a chocolate agar culture medium containing chromogenic substrates.
Yet another object of this invention is to differentiate bacteria based on a change in color of the bacteria on chocolate agar media.